Tue, 05/08/2007 - 11:15am

Peter, Bjorn and John brought to DC’s 9:30 Club on a warm Monday evening, an inspired performance of the typically whimsical yet intellectual music that has made them a hit around the world. These three goofy but ultra cool guys from Sweden know how to work a moderately large crowd, innocently flirting with them with their charming songs, cracking them up with jokes in the interims and even rocking out on the guitar al-la Eddie Van Halen.

But this group also got the job done, and by that I mean the music was played well and all the fan favorites were heard. The band, which formed in Stockholm in 1999 consists of, as their name cleverly hints at, Peter Morén on vocals and guitar, Björn Yttling on bass and keyboards and John Eriksson on percussion, however all three gentlemen took to the microphone at one point or another during the performance, and a tall lanky girl by the name of Heather (she is one of the members of Au Revoir Simone, a group from Brooklyn who was featured as the first opening act) took the stage as well to help sing the international hit “Young Folks.” To no one’s surprise, she sounded great.

What was most surprising was the performance by Fujiya and Miyagi. Unlike their namesake, Fujiya and Miyagi are neither a duet nor are they Japanese. The trio which hails from Brighton, UK, rallied the audience around their techno-pop dance beats and seemingly nonsensical lyrics, serving their main-stage act well by bringing the energy level up and causing audience anticipation to rise. In fact, if someone didn’t know any better, Fujiya and Miyagi could have been easily mistaken for a main-stage act themselves, a notion I wouldn’t doubt for their future.

Overall, and in usual 9:30 Club style, the show was a hit. Already avid fans of Peter Bjorn and John were more than satisfied with the group’s acutely fun music and animated personality. This already avid fan also got to hear two new, interesting bands in Fujiya and Miyagi and Au Revoir Simone. And anyone that may have found themselves at Peter Bjorn and John on a whim was most certainly pleasantly surprised.

The videos included in this article are the songs “Amsterdam” and Paris 2004” For more information about Peter Bjorn and John visit their homepage at: http://www.peterbjornandjohn.com/ or visit http://www.myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn for music samples. For a complete listing of shows coming up at the 9:30 Club please see http://www.930.com/fs.php?x=1280&ba=IE&bv=7.0&bp=Win

About the author
Yasmin Tasan has been living in Washington, DC since 2001. She studied art history in college and is committed to furthering her understanding of fine art through the exploration of the many unique and interesting shows and exhibits Washington continually offers. When not roaming the halls of a museum you can most likely find her exploring a new or favorite restaurant with friends, running in Rock Creek Park or making a fool of herself at Bikram yoga.

Categories:

• Music
• Videos